This invention relates to a controlling gear for outboard engines and more particularly to an improved steering arrangement for a marine drive.
In a marine drive such as an outboard motor, it is well known that the associated watercraft is steered by rotating the outboard drive about a vertically extending steering axis. The force required to so steer the outboard drive can, in many instances, be quite large. This is particularly true when larger horsepower units are considered. In order to assist in such steering movement, it has been proposed to employ a trim tab that is mounted rearwardly on the outboard drive and which is steered in an opposite direction so as to generate a hydrodynamic force that will assist in the steering of the outboard drive. Such an arrangement is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,349,341, entitled "Vane Steering System For Marine Drives", issued Sep. 14, 1982 in the name of Edward J. Morgan et al.
As shown in that patent, there is an arrangement interconnected between the steering lever and the trim tab that employs a lost motion connection and the movement is transmitted to the trim tab by means of flexible transmitters. Other devices which operate in a similar manner have employed linkage systems and/or electrically operated motors for rotating the trim tab. The use of flexible transmitters has the advantage of simplicity, low cost and ease of installation. However, the flexible transmitting arrangement shown in the aforenoted patent is constructed in such a way that the ends of the flexible transmitters which are connected to the steering lever extend perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the outboard drive. As such, they can extend the width of this portion of the outboard drive since the flexible transmitters cannot be bent through too small a radius. This is not only unsightly but places the transmitters in an area where they can be damaged or may obstruct the operator's ability to reach components of the outboard drive which must be serviced.
It is, therefore, a principal object of this invention to provide an improved and simplified controlling arrangement for an outboard drive.
It is a still further object of this invention to provide an improved and simplified device for assisting steering of an outboard drive.
It is a yet further object of this invention to provide a steering arrangement for an outboard drive that is compact in nature.
The arrangement shown in the aforenoted patent is primarily adapted for use with remote steering mechanism. However, there is an advantage in the use of such a steering arrangement even when the motor is steered by a tiller. In addition to steering by the tiller, many outboard motors also employ a rotatable tiller that is operative to control the throttle of the engine for the motor. However, with the arrangement as shown in the aforenoted patent, such is not possible because of the design and costruction of the trim tab operating mechanism.
It is, therefore, a still further object of this invention to provide an improved arrangement for steering and controlling the speed of an outboard motor.